GOVERNMENT AND REGULATORY

ITSRR publishes Waterfall Report 13

The Independent Transport Safety and Reliability Regulator (ITSRR) has released its thirteenth quarterly report on the implementation of the NSW Government’s response to the Special Commission of Inquiry (SCOI) into the Waterfall Accident. At the end of the reporting period, 1 January to 31 March 2008, the total number of recommendations currently closed was 168 or 95% of all recommendations. One recommendation (Recommendation 53) was verified and closed during the quarter. It required RailCorp to introduce train inspections at the time of stabling trains in addition to those carried out as part of train preparation prior to entering service.

Safety alert: securing redundant air brake hoses

The Independent Transport Safety and Reliability Regulator (ITSRR) has advised accredited persons and rolling stock maintainers in NSW to read a safety alert (available on ITSRR’s website) issued by the Department for Planning and Infrastructure in relation to an incident in Western Australia. The safety alert relates to securing redundant air brake hoses on locomotives.

New platforms to keep Melbourne moving

New platform tram stops will be built in Nicholson Street at the intersection of Albert Street and in Flinders Street at Spring Street. Public Transport Minister Lynne Kosky said construction has begun in Nicholson Street and work will start in Flinders Street on 9 May 2008, with both projects expected to take around six weeks to be complete. “As part of the recently announced Keeping Melbourne Moving and the Think Tram program, the Brumby (Victorian) Government is committed to improving tram travel times, reliability, accessibility and safety across Melbourne’s tram network,” Ms Kosky said.

Massive increase in rail freight

There has been a 1,200 per cent increase in the number of containers moving through Fremantle Port by rail since 2002 - from 7,000 teu (container equivalents) annually to an estimated 84,000 teu in 2008. Planning and Infrastructure Minister Alannah MacTiernan said this volume of freight would have required an estimated 65,000 additional truck movements through the port. Ms MacTiernan said the dramatic result was a key achievement of the metropolitan freight strategy, a six-point plan to manage freight more sustainably through the metropolitan area. “One of the key planks of the plan was getting more freight containers on rail and I am pleased to say we have made real progress,” Ms MacTiernan said.

ORR accepts Network Rail’s West Coast plan

The Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) has announced that Network Rail has complied with an order to produce a plan showing how it would complete the work on the West Coast main line to enable significant timetable improvements. Network Rail must now deliver its revised plan allowing the improvements to be introduced from December 2008. However the industry regulator warned Network Rail about mitigating the effect of disruption caused by engineering work and said that it would be closely monitoring delivery of the plan.

INDUSTRY

ARA fortnightly update

The Australasian Railway Association (ARA) released its fortnightly update on 2 May 2008. Stories in this edition include:

• RISSB activities
• National Rail Safety Awareness week
• ARA members dinner - Sydney

INDUSTRY CONTINUED

Passing loop opens at Yerong Creek

Another milestone has been reached in the upgrade of the Melbourne-Sydney-Brisbane rail line by the Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) with the opening of a new seven kilometre long passing loop at Yerong Creek in NSW. The new passing lane at Yerong Creek will allow trains to pass each other at regular speed, which will reduce the travel time and increase the length of trains able to travel on the network. The trains are now able to enter and leave the passing loops at 80 kilometres per hour - up from the normal loop speed of 40 kilometres per hour.

PN to provide grain rail haulage services

Asciano Group has announced that it has finalised agreements with GrainCorp to provide export grain rail haulage services that will deliver commercially viable outcomes for Asciano for the next five years. Under the new agreements, Asciano’s rail subsidiary, Pacific National (PN), will contract to GrainCorp eight trains that will service GrainCorp’s export haulage requirements in NSW and Victoria on a take or pay basis. Pacific National will benefit further through additional variable payments for export grain volumes moved.

UIC calls in administrator

The International Union of Railways (UIC) announced on 28 April that a Provisional Administrator had been appointed to manage the organisation, pending the calling of an Extraordinary General Meeting. Ms Béatrice Dunogué-Gaffié has been appointed by the Paris-based Court of First Instance following a request from UIC's Chief Executive Luc Aliadière. UIC said 'a number of internal difficulties and tensions' have arisen following the adoption of new statutes in 2007 designed to 'reinforce the role of UIC as a worldwide railway organisation'.

AAR warns against further regulation

Imposing additional federal regulation on freight railroads would destroy efforts to put more freight on rail and less on the nation's overburdened highways, warned the Association of American Railroads (AAR) in a letter sent to members of the House Small Business Committee. “America already has a great rail freight network,” said Edward Hamberger, president and Chief Executive Officer of AAR. “We just need more of it, and re-regulation won't get us that.” Mr Hamberger told members of the committee that “ninety years of increasingly repressive regulation brought the U.S. freight railroad industry to the brink of ruin”.

Annual Safety Performance Report

The Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB) has published its Annual Safety Performance Report for 2007. Anson Jack, Director of Policy, Research and Risk said that rail continues to be a very safe form of public transport. “Safety improvements were seen in several areas, and the industry remains committed through individual company actions and cooperative planning to bring about further progress,” Mr Jack said.

ACCIDENTS

Derailments delay coal exports

Coal exports from several central Queensland mines were delayed after two trains derailed on the morning of 28 April 2008. In the first incident, an empty coal train derailed on the southern leg of the Gregory branch line at Harrow Creek around 12.50am (AEST). Two locomotives, 40 empty wagons and one remote control wagon left the track during the derailment, damaging about 1.5 kilometres of overhead wires, track and supporting masts. Authorities said the second derailment at a rail depot near Sarina would also have a major impact on freight services. No injuries were reported from either derailment.